Monday, August 01, 2005
Claire Kember Leaving Totally Radio
Physical State: sluggish
Mental State: hazey
Music: The Daily Show with Claire Kember
Fashion sense: white t-shirt, black shorts
This today on the front page of clairekember.co.uk and also on the Daily Show page at Totally Radio:
After almost 5 years at Totallyradio Towers, I have given in my notice and decided to move on. My last show overall is Totallywired on 7th August (totallywired.co.uk), my last Daily Show is Friday 5th with Fujiya & Miyagi scheduled as co-hosts. I wish our tiny team well and thank all the listeners for their time, listening hours, emails and best wishes; you have been the best radio audience ever!
I will not forget our many email conversations after 11th September and after our recent terrorist nightmares in London this July, plus, all your get well messages when I was ill in Easter 2003. Also, to my guests over the year, thanks so much for contributing to my shows- it was a pleasure.
Before I do anything else I am taking a sabbatical where I can work on another creative project.
Thank you,
Claire xxx
(soon to be ex-)Channel Manager and presenter of the Daily Show
***
This is truly sad news for anyone who ever checked out The Daily Show with Claire Kember at Totally Radio. She is one of the most knowledgeable music programmers and one of the nicest people I have ever met (and have since become good friends with). It is with deep regret that I won't be able to check her show out anymore. A contemporary in my mind to John Peel (even if she'll deny it), Claire was the backbone of Totally Radio and her show the flagship of that internet radio station. I am not sure how great it will be now with this incredible hole that has to be filled. Claire is a walking encyclopedia of music info and I think any other radio station or internet broadcaster that offers her a project will be making an incredible investment (not only in terms of her skills but in her fanbase as well). Claire like Peel turned us on to music that was always important and her show was as much an education about music as charming listening experience to boot. She always presented a diverse collection of music that wasn't always popular but had "classic" status. Many of my greatest purchases in my record collection I was turned on to by her show. The Daily Show was immensely popular among people who consider themselves discerning music fans and Claire respected her listeners enough to program music that was thought-provoking and challenging but always relevant. Her presentation was informative, friendly and welcoming to many on an international level with her many contests including 3 minute Hero and Ten Second Torment among others. There was a distinct generosity to all that she did. She introduced listeners to a diverse mix of classic soul, world music, American country and western and other forms of music demonstrating that music's roots are to be respected and explored as much as contemporary sounds. Her opinions on music were often strong but tempered with intelligence and an open-minded enthusiasm. She is one of a dying breed of music programmers where committment, passion and knowledge are being replaced with inane chatter and commercialization. She had the immense job of not only programming the Daily Show for 5 days every week but also booking in special guests for interviews/co-hosts and in-studio performances that made her show interesting and always fresh. In addition she also programmed the Totallywired show on Juice FM and Totally Radio which put the spotlight on independent acts from Brighton (where Totally Radio/Juice is based). Added to this she also managed to be the TR channel manager and was a strong force in the direction that Totally Radio took in its inception.
I had the immense privilege to have Claire visit me in Toronto when she was here and co-host a Radioindierock.com show with me. I was incredibly impressed by her musical knowledge and generosity in making this show, one of my first ever co-host shows. Claire always strikes me as someone who is very considerate and encouraging and can speak about any topic in a very informed and enthusiastic way. The world needs more people like Claire in my opinion. Radio definitely needs her kind.
I wish her well in her new endeavours (including her long overdue and deserved sabbatical to explore her writing). I don't think we've heard the last of Claire on the 'waves either so keep checking back to her personal website (clairekember.co.uk) for updates on where Claire is going. I'm happy to have been a regular listener to her Daily Show and she will be sorely missed. Good luck Lady CK, the best is yet to come.
